Noah found grace

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. – Genesis 6.5-8

There are two perspectives here in these verses. One is about God and the other about Noah.

From God’s perspective we see grace. I didn’t check, but I think this is the first time we see God’s grace mentioned. This is a vital moment because grace changes everything.

The previous verses talked all about how wicked the world had become. It was not what God had planned for man. Man had exercised his will and rejected God and God was ready to wipe it all out because of man’s sin.

But God’s grace stepped in.

This section somehow reminds me of Ephesians 2. There we read all about how in ‘former times’ the believers in Ephesus had walked in the same way as the world.

But God, who is rich in mercy…for by grace you are saved.

In both cases we have that wonderful ‘but God…’ and that ‘but God’ makes all the difference in the world and eternity.

The grace of God that brings salvation to all men has now appeared on the scene. If Noah had not found grace in the eyes of the Lord it would all have been over.

But Noah did find grace.